LeBron James vs. MJ Debate Shut Down by ESPN Star Before Thunder Series
The G.O.A.T. debate continues to rage on, as 41-year-old LeBron James heads into a challenging second-round series against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
LeBron mostly carried a banged-up Los Angeles Lakers squad to a 4-2 first-round win against the Houston Rockets, who were also missing Kevin Durant for much of the series and lacked a major star in their lineup. Many individuals mentioned how King James continues to play at a high level and could carry just about any roster to wins.
He’s certainly put the rest of the league on notice that if you’re serious about playing, winning, achieving greatness, and having longevity amongst stars, you need to be fully committed to your health. He’s also put himself right up there in the top three players of all-time, where Michael Jordan resides at the top of many people’s lists.
Still, with OKC coming up next, it seems even beating the defending champions may not elevate LeBron’s status to become the greatest of all time.
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The question surfaced once again on ESPN about whether LeBron could take over as the greatest of all time in NBA history by achieving the seemingly impossible: beating a powerful No. 1 seed that is the favorite to repeat as NBA champions.
Unfortunately for King James fans, Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe it will help LeBron as much as he witnessed during MJ’s time in the league.
“I have two eyes. I know what I saw watching Michael Jordan. I know what I've seen watching LeBron James. There's a GOAT. Anybody that knows basketball and watched it, we know what the hell we saw … LeBron will sit up there and beat you. Jordan snatched your heart. He made you not want to show up,” Smith said on “First Take” ahead of the playoff series.
Smith said he wanted to be clear that LeBron undoubtedly belongs in a room with all other basketball greats, including Jordan, but that he is not the greatest in his mind compared to MJ. The ESPN star refused to bring up stats as part of his argument, but said he would and would win his argument there, too.
Smith might have a personal bias, especially given previous feuds and remarks he and LeBron made about one another. The ESPN star called out King James more than a few times in his rants, particularly on his “The Stephen A. Smith Show” over a confrontation at a game, and LeBron’s media narratives.
Still, according to Smith, his eyeball test showed a much different mentality on the basketball court and in pre-game and post-game interviews when it came to MJ. In the end, the G.O.A.T. debate could be merely an emotional attachment to one player’s legendary basketball era over another.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 12:02 PM.